WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:02.319 Let's continue to talk Utah BYU. 2 00:00:02.359 --> 00:00:06.639 The Monday after the rivalry game reaction Monday, Scott Mitchell 3 00:00:06.759 --> 00:00:08.480 on a Monday afternoon, Scott, a happy Monday. 4 00:00:08.480 --> 00:00:08.919 How you doing. 5 00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:11.960 I'm doing great. How are you doing? 6 00:00:12.199 --> 00:00:14.720 I'm good man, I'm good. Let's just let's start. Let's 7 00:00:14.759 --> 00:00:17.039 start right away with the thing. Let's do the thing 8 00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:20.160 holding call. At the end of the game. You played 9 00:00:20.199 --> 00:00:22.199 QB at the highest of levels. Man, tell me what 10 00:00:22.239 --> 00:00:24.480 you saw you fans up in arms b YU. Fans 11 00:00:24.480 --> 00:00:26.399 say nothing to see here? What does Scott Mitchell say? 12 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:29.640 Well, if you look at the play and you know, 13 00:00:29.679 --> 00:00:32.840 I've seen ten thousand different angles of it, and you 14 00:00:32.840 --> 00:00:37.039 know there was a hold there, and and it's like, okay, fine, 15 00:00:37.119 --> 00:00:41.000 there's always holding. There's always something that goes on past interference. 16 00:00:41.039 --> 00:00:46.119 Holding between DB's and wide receivers. Is it's a nuanced art, 17 00:00:46.399 --> 00:00:49.240 you know, to really say, it's it's a basically do 18 00:00:49.240 --> 00:00:52.960 you impede someone's forward progress? And you know, so you 19 00:00:52.960 --> 00:00:54.960 look at it from the surfacing, Okay, we'll find it's 20 00:00:54.960 --> 00:00:57.840 a hold whatever. But but the thing that's challenging for 21 00:00:57.960 --> 00:01:01.359 me is the official set a tone, and they set 22 00:01:01.399 --> 00:01:03.560 the tone all year this is how we're gonna let 23 00:01:03.640 --> 00:01:06.640 you play as a defensive back. These officials come to 24 00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:10.159 practices in the fall, they have discussions with coaches, they 25 00:01:10.200 --> 00:01:13.079 watch the players. I mean there's a lot of time, 26 00:01:13.400 --> 00:01:16.319 a lot of communication back and forth about what you 27 00:01:16.359 --> 00:01:18.840 can get away with and what you can't. And the 28 00:01:18.920 --> 00:01:22.280 officials clearly all year I basically said, we're gonna let 29 00:01:22.319 --> 00:01:24.840 them play. I'm gonna let them play. So you you 30 00:01:24.920 --> 00:01:28.040 live in your mind as a dB coaches coaches this way. 31 00:01:28.159 --> 00:01:32.560 Everyone knows it's gonna you're you can, you can get physical, 32 00:01:32.840 --> 00:01:35.280 you can, you can get close to each other. And 33 00:01:35.319 --> 00:01:37.640 it's been consistent. That's what I've loved about it all 34 00:01:37.719 --> 00:01:40.319 year because I've loved Okay, you may not agree with 35 00:01:40.359 --> 00:01:42.159 it the way they're calling it, but at least they're 36 00:01:42.200 --> 00:01:45.319 calling it the same way. And that was the challenge 37 00:01:45.319 --> 00:01:48.640 for me because you know, in that moment, on that play, 38 00:01:48.680 --> 00:01:51.719 in that situation, now you're gonna call this that That 39 00:01:51.840 --> 00:01:54.719 was that was a little a little challenging. But the 40 00:01:54.760 --> 00:01:57.959 other side of it for me, Spence is you know 41 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:01.239 it's too big to raik You know that kind of 42 00:02:01.239 --> 00:02:03.480 the slogan from the election you win by so much, 43 00:02:03.560 --> 00:02:06.439 you don't have to worry about late game calls like 44 00:02:06.519 --> 00:02:10.360 this constantly every week, week in and week out, putting 45 00:02:10.360 --> 00:02:14.719 your defense in the in the pressure situation to be perfect. 46 00:02:15.879 --> 00:02:19.240 I think it's hard because something like this is gonna happen. 47 00:02:19.479 --> 00:02:22.280 One guy somewhere makes one mistake and you lose a 48 00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:26.319 football game. So to me, it's like, you need to 49 00:02:26.319 --> 00:02:28.439 score more points on offense. You have to ball on 50 00:02:28.520 --> 00:02:32.000 the fifty yard line twice and you punt from your fifty. 51 00:02:32.360 --> 00:02:36.680 That's egregious, and the offense was actually moving. Brandon Rose 52 00:02:36.719 --> 00:02:39.800 played very well, like he played very well in this game. 53 00:02:40.439 --> 00:02:42.919 And to not score points, to not even have an 54 00:02:42.919 --> 00:02:45.520 opportunity to kick at least a temp a couple of 55 00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:48.599 field goals in those drives, you know that's the problem. 56 00:02:48.639 --> 00:02:51.240 And so you know you can't just blame it on 57 00:02:51.319 --> 00:02:54.439 that last play. And as a as a tough thing, 58 00:02:54.599 --> 00:02:58.120 it is a brutally hard peel though, to swallow when 59 00:02:58.120 --> 00:03:00.680 you think you've won the game. And I believe I 60 00:03:00.719 --> 00:03:03.680 know it. I paid it officials sometimes I've been so 61 00:03:03.800 --> 00:03:06.560 mad at him. I get it, but you just have 62 00:03:06.639 --> 00:03:12.199 to it's more than that play. I think that was 63 00:03:12.240 --> 00:03:13.280 the outcome of the game. 64 00:03:13.800 --> 00:03:15.280 Certainly, and we'll get to all that. 65 00:03:15.439 --> 00:03:18.319 But you referenced a little bit of an election slogan, 66 00:03:18.560 --> 00:03:21.280 and while we're in that space, after the game, Utah's 67 00:03:21.319 --> 00:03:24.000 athletic director Mark Harlan had a little stop to steal 68 00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:27.719 energy where he said, quote, I've been an athletic director 69 00:03:27.759 --> 00:03:30.719 for twelve years. This game was absolutely stolen from us. 70 00:03:31.280 --> 00:03:33.639 We were excited about being in the Big twelve. But 71 00:03:33.680 --> 00:03:36.280 tonight I am not We won this game. Someone else 72 00:03:36.360 --> 00:03:39.560 stole it from us. I'm very disappointed. I will talk 73 00:03:39.599 --> 00:03:42.000 to the commissioner. This is not fair to our team. 74 00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:45.400 I'm disgusted by the professionalism of the officiating crew tonight. 75 00:03:46.120 --> 00:03:49.319 Well apparently he did talk to the commissioner and went 76 00:03:49.400 --> 00:03:51.120 like this, you owe me forty grand and you have 77 00:03:51.159 --> 00:03:56.280 been publicly reprimanded. So your reaction to what is going 78 00:03:56.360 --> 00:03:58.199 to be known twenty years from now, was the Mark 79 00:03:58.280 --> 00:04:00.000 Harlan moment in this rivalry. 80 00:04:01.319 --> 00:04:03.360 Well, it's too soon to say this will be a 81 00:04:03.560 --> 00:04:05.960 historic moment, you know, because we're all still kind of 82 00:04:05.960 --> 00:04:08.159 reeling from it. But it will down the road. People 83 00:04:08.199 --> 00:04:11.039 will go remember the year that Mark Harlin just kind 84 00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:13.759 of lost his marbles and went off on things and 85 00:04:14.560 --> 00:04:18.439 It reminds me a little bit of you know that 86 00:04:18.439 --> 00:04:21.519 that social media post that you write at three o'clock 87 00:04:21.519 --> 00:04:24.480 in the morning, or that text message you write, you know, 88 00:04:25.160 --> 00:04:27.160 and you and you kind of have to ask yourself 89 00:04:27.199 --> 00:04:29.000 and should I should I hit send right now? 90 00:04:29.120 --> 00:04:30.879 And the answers always no. By the way, the answer 91 00:04:30.959 --> 00:04:31.680 is always right. 92 00:04:31.639 --> 00:04:34.439 Yeah, exactly. You should never say it. And he just said, 93 00:04:34.519 --> 00:04:38.480 forget that I'm sending this out, I'm hitting send. It's 94 00:04:38.519 --> 00:04:42.360 never a good thing. There's no there's no good optics 95 00:04:42.399 --> 00:04:44.600 to it, just none of it. It doesn't look good 96 00:04:44.600 --> 00:04:48.240 for him. Marks such a great a d and has 97 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:51.319 done a tremendous job at Utah and and has been 98 00:04:51.639 --> 00:04:58.000 you know, incredible about brand, creating a brand, protecting a brand, 99 00:04:58.839 --> 00:05:01.920 building a brand, and and that that's that's a that's 100 00:05:01.959 --> 00:05:03.680 a tough one on the brand when you do that 101 00:05:04.399 --> 00:05:06.360 really really out of character for him. Believe me, I 102 00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:09.319 know how it feels. We're all emotional after the game. 103 00:05:09.839 --> 00:05:12.160 When I coached, I was like, you know, I coached 104 00:05:12.240 --> 00:05:14.160 high school football, and I just I told the parents, 105 00:05:14.199 --> 00:05:16.680 I'll talk to you any day of the week, just 106 00:05:16.720 --> 00:05:18.839 not right after a game, because we're both going to 107 00:05:18.920 --> 00:05:22.839 say things that we'll regret later. It's always the case. 108 00:05:23.879 --> 00:05:26.079 You know, we as media, we want to we want 109 00:05:26.079 --> 00:05:28.879 to get the reaction in the moment, but do we 110 00:05:28.959 --> 00:05:31.240 really you know, and and because when you do get 111 00:05:31.240 --> 00:05:34.279 the reaction, it's it's, uh, you know, maybe it's not 112 00:05:34.319 --> 00:05:37.079 what you really wanted. And I feel really bad for Mark, 113 00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:41.199 you know, the public reprimand kind of put you on notice. 114 00:05:41.279 --> 00:05:43.560 You know, it's not just a meaningless thing. It's like 115 00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:48.680 any kind of thing like this happens again, you're you're 116 00:05:48.759 --> 00:05:51.000 in and really, you know, you could be in some 117 00:05:51.120 --> 00:05:55.720 significant hot water. Uh So it's not just oh not 118 00:05:55.879 --> 00:05:59.319 that wasn't a good thing. There's there's there's repercussions to 119 00:05:59.319 --> 00:06:04.000 to that. Biggest fine ever in the Big Twelve in 120 00:06:04.040 --> 00:06:07.920 this situation. So they they made a statement, and I'm 121 00:06:07.959 --> 00:06:12.399 sure Mark, you know, regrets it, maybe not in the moment. 122 00:06:12.439 --> 00:06:15.160 I mean I've been there. I know I've said things 123 00:06:15.160 --> 00:06:16.759 in the heat of the moment after a game and 124 00:06:17.560 --> 00:06:19.399 in the moment you just go, I don't care, you know, 125 00:06:19.879 --> 00:06:22.680 at this moment, like I don't care, but tomorrow I 126 00:06:22.720 --> 00:06:26.519 probably will. And it's just it's unfortunate that that actually 127 00:06:26.519 --> 00:06:27.279 came out. 128 00:06:27.639 --> 00:06:29.480 And to your I want to underscore your point. I 129 00:06:29.480 --> 00:06:31.839 don't know this for sure. We have reached out to 130 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:33.800 the you to try to get Mark on the show 131 00:06:33.839 --> 00:06:36.160 this week. Hopefully it'll come in studio to try to 132 00:06:36.480 --> 00:06:39.879 kind of explain aside. If I had to guess, I 133 00:06:39.920 --> 00:06:42.519 think he would like a mulligan. I think he you know, 134 00:06:43.000 --> 00:06:46.160 I'm not sure he's going to be like defiant when 135 00:06:46.160 --> 00:06:50.040 it comes to just react, reacting with emotion in the moment, 136 00:06:50.399 --> 00:06:53.639 how do you, as somebody, as you just said, somebody 137 00:06:53.720 --> 00:06:56.720 like you who has been in this scenario, how do 138 00:06:56.800 --> 00:07:01.319 you separate your emotion in the moment to react appropriately? 139 00:07:01.399 --> 00:07:03.759 Because I think everybody was feeling them. 140 00:07:03.879 --> 00:07:06.199 I walked, I watched the game on sidelines with Sean 141 00:07:06.279 --> 00:07:08.959 and order was there a bunch of XU players as well, 142 00:07:09.519 --> 00:07:12.439 And when that kick went through the uprights, you could 143 00:07:12.480 --> 00:07:16.959 feel the holy bleep just on the sideline in the stadium. 144 00:07:17.439 --> 00:07:20.399 So unfortunately, Scott, as you know, if you react simply 145 00:07:20.399 --> 00:07:22.399 out of emotion in the moment, you do things like 146 00:07:22.639 --> 00:07:25.639 and I've done it so many times, I am not judging. 147 00:07:26.079 --> 00:07:28.319 I've woken up before, I looked at my Twitter. I'm like, dude, 148 00:07:28.360 --> 00:07:29.240 just freaking go to bed. 149 00:07:29.279 --> 00:07:32.240 Next time. But I mean, ultimately, if you. 150 00:07:32.199 --> 00:07:35.040 React with emotion, you throw water bottles on the field 151 00:07:35.199 --> 00:07:39.279 as fans, you throw chairs and press conferences as coaches, 152 00:07:39.319 --> 00:07:42.199 and you say things that you need to walk back quickly. 153 00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:45.120 If you're an AD since you've been in that situation, 154 00:07:45.319 --> 00:07:46.879 how do you separate it in the moment? 155 00:07:46.920 --> 00:07:48.000 Seems like it's pretty tough. 156 00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:52.720 The best thing in the world's brutally tough. I mean, 157 00:07:53.399 --> 00:07:55.360 you know, and sometimes you do it right and sometimes 158 00:07:55.439 --> 00:07:59.079 you don't. And a lot of it is if you're 159 00:07:59.240 --> 00:08:01.680 trained at it and you practice it all the time 160 00:08:02.360 --> 00:08:06.279 and you realize, you know, let's have this discussion tomorrow 161 00:08:06.360 --> 00:08:10.120 or the next day or whatever. You're you're always better off. 162 00:08:10.199 --> 00:08:13.879 But I know the moments where I just hit the 163 00:08:13.920 --> 00:08:17.480 send button and and you just you just it's hard 164 00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:19.639 to describe other than you go, you just kind of 165 00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:21.839 you just you know, you've just walked over the cliff. 166 00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:24.519 You know, you're just like you just I don't care 167 00:08:24.600 --> 00:08:28.680 what the repercussions of this, I don't care. And uh, 168 00:08:28.920 --> 00:08:30.800 and you know, and you and you just do it, 169 00:08:30.920 --> 00:08:34.320 and and there's it's it never turns out good. It 170 00:08:34.360 --> 00:08:39.159 never does, but you nonetheless still still feel like in 171 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:42.000 that moment you have you have to do it. You know, 172 00:08:42.039 --> 00:08:46.399 a lot of people. You take Charles Barkley, right, I 173 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:48.960 think Charles got away with it and still gets away 174 00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:52.120 with it now because he's just done it forever. Like 175 00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:54.600 he just doesn't care what people think. It's like, fine, 176 00:08:54.639 --> 00:08:56.919 find me, I don't I don't care. And some people 177 00:08:56.919 --> 00:08:59.679 are really okay with it. Some people, you know, just 178 00:08:59.799 --> 00:09:03.399 they they live on that, you know, where they can 179 00:09:03.480 --> 00:09:05.720 just kind of say and do and be what they want. 180 00:09:05.759 --> 00:09:09.360 And and of course the media loves that, and it's great, wonderful, 181 00:09:09.399 --> 00:09:12.279 And there are other people. Most people just you know, 182 00:09:12.360 --> 00:09:17.559 they just they just try to be professional, try to 183 00:09:17.679 --> 00:09:20.440 you know, just handle the situation. And quite frankly, for me, 184 00:09:20.559 --> 00:09:23.200 that's more of how how I was. It was like, 185 00:09:23.279 --> 00:09:26.559 I have an obligation of responsibility to talk to people, 186 00:09:27.399 --> 00:09:29.679 so I will talk to them in a civil tone 187 00:09:29.720 --> 00:09:32.600 and then I'll go handle the emotional side of this 188 00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:36.080 in a different way and and and deal with because 189 00:09:36.120 --> 00:09:39.440 you have to still deal with it. Look, you put 190 00:09:39.480 --> 00:09:42.200 your heart and soul into something. This This team has 191 00:09:42.200 --> 00:09:46.039 had a brutally tough year like far, you know, just 192 00:09:46.120 --> 00:09:49.399 the crushing season with all the expectations, and really the 193 00:09:49.480 --> 00:09:52.639 rightful expectations is a very good football team, and to 194 00:09:52.720 --> 00:09:55.759 have the kind of year that they've had after a while, 195 00:09:55.799 --> 00:09:58.360 it just wears on you. You spend so much time 196 00:09:58.559 --> 00:10:01.679 every just every week, the grind of the practice and 197 00:10:01.720 --> 00:10:05.759 the meetings and your body being beat up, and then 198 00:10:05.879 --> 00:10:08.200 to just pour your heart and soul on the field, 199 00:10:08.559 --> 00:10:12.919 really emotional game, massive crazy energy on the field, and 200 00:10:12.960 --> 00:10:16.279 then to have it end like that, it's just it's 201 00:10:16.399 --> 00:10:19.720 just so crushing and to and to feel like it's 202 00:10:19.759 --> 00:10:23.000 the judgment of another person that determines that it's not 203 00:10:23.039 --> 00:10:25.000 necessarily the play on the field. That's at least what 204 00:10:25.039 --> 00:10:27.759 you feel. You know, when an official makes a call 205 00:10:27.840 --> 00:10:31.279 and and you're like, well, there's no repercussion for him, 206 00:10:31.360 --> 00:10:33.600 he goes home to his house, he still gets paid, 207 00:10:33.960 --> 00:10:36.840 he goes on. And so that's the challenge you have 208 00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:39.879 as a player, and the frustration you get kind of 209 00:10:39.919 --> 00:10:45.480 with officials, with with things that you know don't seem 210 00:10:45.519 --> 00:10:48.879 right or seem fair, and and and they're just times 211 00:10:48.919 --> 00:10:52.120 when you know you just you just lose it, you 212 00:10:52.240 --> 00:10:52.559 just do. 213 00:10:53.679 --> 00:10:56.000 So I've never been a although I'm not a fan 214 00:10:56.039 --> 00:10:59.559 of officials, I'm very intrigued at sort of what, you know, 215 00:10:59.600 --> 00:11:02.039 what's of human would want to do that in life? 216 00:11:02.159 --> 00:11:05.720 I think that's fascinating because you're just so disliked. No 217 00:11:05.720 --> 00:11:07.879 matter what you do, one fan base is going to 218 00:11:07.919 --> 00:11:09.559 be mad at you on one hand or the other. 219 00:11:10.720 --> 00:11:13.080 I've never been a I'm not here for the blame 220 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:14.480 the officials for the lost thing. 221 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:16.639 I don't like unwritten rules. 222 00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:18.799 Like a guy dunks a ball when you're already up 223 00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:20.679 twenty with don't let them dunk it, Like if you 224 00:11:20.720 --> 00:11:22.440 don't want them to win, get in the way and 225 00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:25.000 do what you have to do if you're playing the sport. 226 00:11:25.120 --> 00:11:27.200 So I'm not a blame the officials guy. 227 00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:30.279 It certainly is a fascinating dynamic to discuss, and your 228 00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:34.279 perspective is always valuable. But away from the holding call, 229 00:11:34.399 --> 00:11:38.200 away from the second, well second third chance. Kalanie did 230 00:11:38.240 --> 00:11:40.039 get the time out on time, I mean, if you 231 00:11:40.080 --> 00:11:42.840 see the replay, did but it was another you know, 232 00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:45.240 kind of reminiscent of the miss field goals. You fans 233 00:11:45.240 --> 00:11:47.320 thinking that they're winning and they're not, they're winning and 234 00:11:47.360 --> 00:11:50.559 they're not, and then they didn't. So away from that though, 235 00:11:50.600 --> 00:11:53.159 Scott from a thirty thousand foot view. Why did Utah 236 00:11:53.200 --> 00:11:54.240 lose this football game? 237 00:11:56.639 --> 00:12:03.480 Oh boy, Well, here's the thing. In this conference, the 238 00:12:03.639 --> 00:12:07.960 talent is just really razor thin. Like you could take 239 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:09.600 a hand, you know, you could take that all the 240 00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:11.279 teams right now that are at the bottom of the 241 00:12:11.279 --> 00:12:14.559 Big twelve, and by the grace of God, they could 242 00:12:14.600 --> 00:12:16.799 be in the top. And and and you could switch 243 00:12:16.840 --> 00:12:19.480 it around. I mean, you could go through through games 244 00:12:19.519 --> 00:12:21.960 that just broke a certain way for a certain team, 245 00:12:22.679 --> 00:12:27.080 uh differently, and and and so the margins are thin. 246 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:30.240 So you've got to have a quarterback that plays very well. 247 00:12:30.799 --> 00:12:34.600 You have to have the guys healthy, and you can't 248 00:12:34.759 --> 00:12:37.120 you can't get banged up. And you've got to have 249 00:12:37.200 --> 00:12:39.080 the right schedule. You've got to have all these things 250 00:12:39.159 --> 00:12:42.080 kind of play in your in your favor. And and 251 00:12:42.320 --> 00:12:44.559 Utah is just you know that they've had a lot 252 00:12:44.600 --> 00:12:49.039 of a lot of bounces not go their way in 253 00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:51.399 this game, you know. So so it's a very evenly 254 00:12:51.480 --> 00:12:54.879 matched game, and you have a BYU team who literally 255 00:12:55.159 --> 00:12:58.600 has to play almost perfect in the second half in 256 00:12:58.679 --> 00:13:00.879 order to win. I mean, I mean, so many things 257 00:13:00.919 --> 00:13:03.159 had to fall right and to fall their way in 258 00:13:03.320 --> 00:13:06.320 order for them to win. And the pass that the 259 00:13:06.440 --> 00:13:08.440 Chase Roberts catches at the end of the game. I 260 00:13:08.559 --> 00:13:10.639 wasn't thrown to him. It was thrown to another guy 261 00:13:11.279 --> 00:13:13.039 and he just happened to be in the right place 262 00:13:13.080 --> 00:13:15.600 at the right time. And it's you know, it's about 263 00:13:15.840 --> 00:13:19.960 taking advantage of opportunities when you have them there. And 264 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:22.639 that's what this that's what Utah has not done very well. 265 00:13:23.480 --> 00:13:26.759 Calhoun has an interception, it's probably a pick six and 266 00:13:26.799 --> 00:13:28.879 he drops it, and it's you got to make that play. 267 00:13:28.960 --> 00:13:31.360 That's not a play that's like, oh, well he got 268 00:13:31.399 --> 00:13:34.559 his hand. No, he should have intercepted that ball, and 269 00:13:34.600 --> 00:13:37.679 that's a missed opportunity. There's you know, there's tons of 270 00:13:37.679 --> 00:13:39.759 this that you know. The play calling when they got 271 00:13:39.759 --> 00:13:43.240 to the fifty yard line, it's not about it's about 272 00:13:43.279 --> 00:13:45.320 protecting the lead in that situation. Now you have the 273 00:13:45.320 --> 00:13:48.200 ball fifty yard line. You have to get points out 274 00:13:48.240 --> 00:13:50.960 of this, no matter what. You fight your life off 275 00:13:51.519 --> 00:13:53.600 just to get to the fifty yard line in normal 276 00:13:53.679 --> 00:13:57.320 situations when you start there, you know, so the play 277 00:13:57.360 --> 00:14:00.519 calling kind of bogged down a little bit, but it 278 00:14:00.639 --> 00:14:03.960 was really about when the opportunities were there, and it's 279 00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:06.679 across the board. You know it's not offense, not defense. 280 00:14:06.720 --> 00:14:09.759 As the whole team, Utah just hasn't been able to 281 00:14:09.840 --> 00:14:15.559 make plays to finish out games. And that's really what 282 00:14:15.639 --> 00:14:19.519 happened in this game last last week. There were tons 283 00:14:19.519 --> 00:14:23.039 of opportunities that had Utah taken care of it or 284 00:14:23.120 --> 00:14:26.080 taken advantage of it, they would have easily won this game. 285 00:14:26.840 --> 00:14:29.639 All right, obviously you're the guy we talked to about 286 00:14:29.679 --> 00:14:33.440 the quarterback play. Tell me what you saw, the good 287 00:14:33.440 --> 00:14:36.279 and the bad from Brandon, and then also interested in 288 00:14:36.320 --> 00:14:39.519 your thoughts when it comes to just why the offense 289 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:41.600 stalled in the second half. I think it was seventy 290 00:14:41.679 --> 00:14:45.200 nine yards and four first downs after putting up twenty 291 00:14:45.240 --> 00:14:46.200 one in one quarter. 292 00:14:46.320 --> 00:14:49.120 I mean, this is an offense that couldn't move the ball. 293 00:14:49.159 --> 00:14:51.759 They haven't scored twenty four or more against a P 294 00:14:51.840 --> 00:14:54.919 four team all year. They hang twenty one in the second, 295 00:14:55.080 --> 00:14:57.159 then they go dormant in the second half. So give 296 00:14:57.200 --> 00:15:00.320 me your thoughts on Brandon and also your thoughts why 297 00:15:00.360 --> 00:15:01.320 the offense called out. 298 00:15:02.399 --> 00:15:05.679 Well, this is Brandon Rose's first start in college football 299 00:15:05.720 --> 00:15:09.559 in a rivalry game. Heated massive environment, and he was 300 00:15:09.799 --> 00:15:11.759 up to the challenge from the get go. I mean 301 00:15:11.799 --> 00:15:16.440 immediately you could see the accuracy of the throws and 302 00:15:16.519 --> 00:15:20.000 the command and the wanting to be there. I mean, 303 00:15:20.039 --> 00:15:23.360 he throws the touchdown to Keithy and I don't think 304 00:15:23.360 --> 00:15:25.799 he I don't think his feet touched the ground when 305 00:15:25.840 --> 00:15:27.679 he went off the field. He was so pumped up. 306 00:15:27.720 --> 00:15:29.840 He was just you know, and you and you love 307 00:15:29.960 --> 00:15:34.120 that passion, You love that excitement, and he he again. 308 00:15:34.200 --> 00:15:36.480 It was just an extension of what I saw before. 309 00:15:36.720 --> 00:15:41.440 Very decisive, very comfortable, whether he was running or throwing. 310 00:15:41.759 --> 00:15:45.639 You know, the decisions were there through the ball, extremely accurate, 311 00:15:45.919 --> 00:15:50.240 threw the ball down the field very well. Just even 312 00:15:50.279 --> 00:15:53.360 the interception, like you know, Coach Whittingham mentioned in his 313 00:15:53.399 --> 00:15:55.720 press conference that the tight end went the wrong way 314 00:15:55.759 --> 00:15:58.399 on the route and that would have been a completion. 315 00:15:58.600 --> 00:16:00.320 I mean, he threw it in the in the right spots. 316 00:16:00.320 --> 00:16:02.519 It wasn't like, oh that was a bad decision, a 317 00:16:02.559 --> 00:16:05.559 bad throw. It was just a tight end kind of 318 00:16:05.960 --> 00:16:08.759 kind of hung him out to dry. I I was 319 00:16:08.879 --> 00:16:11.639 even more impressed with Brandon Rose than I was I 320 00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:13.799 was two weeks ago against Houston. I mean, this guy 321 00:16:13.919 --> 00:16:16.679 can play, and it's good to see that he's that 322 00:16:16.720 --> 00:16:20.039 he's having the opportunity. Now, why did the offense bog down? 323 00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:24.360 You know, A lot of it is is just teams 324 00:16:24.399 --> 00:16:27.600 make adjustments, right, So so b Yu there, you know, 325 00:16:27.600 --> 00:16:29.200 you move the ball on them. They can't just sit 326 00:16:29.200 --> 00:16:31.200 there and go yeah, we'll just say doing the same 327 00:16:31.279 --> 00:16:34.120 thing we're doing. And and let you let you march 328 00:16:34.159 --> 00:16:38.799 down the field. And and so they make adjustments. And 329 00:16:38.840 --> 00:16:43.200 the adjustments were kind of some of their their stunts 330 00:16:43.279 --> 00:16:47.840 up front. And what it forced Utah into these third long, 331 00:16:47.960 --> 00:16:51.080 second and long situations and and and I really think 332 00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:54.399 you talk out really conservative on its play calling in 333 00:16:54.480 --> 00:16:57.360 the second in the second half, where they hadn't been 334 00:16:57.480 --> 00:17:01.360 you know before, and and and by you made an adjustment, 335 00:17:01.399 --> 00:17:06.799 and Utah didn't really adjust well to that adjustment. So 336 00:17:06.839 --> 00:17:09.559 they had these third downs and they got super conservative, 337 00:17:09.599 --> 00:17:13.240 and you know, and and maybe that's coach Whittingham saying, hey, 338 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:15.039 I don't want you to try to go for it here. 339 00:17:15.920 --> 00:17:17.920 I don't want you to, you know, get get too 340 00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:20.720 aggressive on these third and longs. So let's just punt 341 00:17:20.759 --> 00:17:22.880 the ball. And they did, and and you know, they 342 00:17:22.920 --> 00:17:25.160 backed up Yu and they and you know, other than 343 00:17:26.200 --> 00:17:28.200 you know, they it looked like they had them for 344 00:17:28.240 --> 00:17:30.039 the most part when they when they had them backed 345 00:17:30.119 --> 00:17:34.319 up and they had the one long touchdown drive, and 346 00:17:34.359 --> 00:17:36.440 it was really when Utah kind of went back into 347 00:17:36.480 --> 00:17:39.200 a zone and played soft, and when they pressed the 348 00:17:39.240 --> 00:17:41.960 receivers and they pressured the quarterback. That's when the defense 349 00:17:42.039 --> 00:17:44.839 really really got after but just got a little conservative, 350 00:17:44.880 --> 00:17:48.920 you know. You you kind of get into a mindset of, well, 351 00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:52.200 let's let's play not to lose as applosed as opposed 352 00:17:52.240 --> 00:17:55.519 to playing to win. And I'm more of a let's 353 00:17:55.519 --> 00:17:58.039 be more aggressive. Let's you know, when you got the 354 00:17:58.039 --> 00:17:59.559 ball at the fifty yard line, I mean, you got 355 00:17:59.599 --> 00:18:01.400 us get point. I don't care what you say. You 356 00:18:01.480 --> 00:18:04.160 have got to get points. Whether it's field goals, touchdowns, 357 00:18:04.839 --> 00:18:08.480 and you targets, you know, anything, any a field goal. 358 00:18:09.079 --> 00:18:10.160 They still win the games. 359 00:18:10.599 --> 00:18:12.359 Yeah, that's all they needed. That's all they needed. 360 00:18:12.400 --> 00:18:15.920 I wonder did it feel to you like it was 361 00:18:16.559 --> 00:18:19.079 Stanley from the office, this is just a run the 362 00:18:19.079 --> 00:18:21.480 clock out situation. It felt like they were just trying 363 00:18:21.480 --> 00:18:24.559 to kill the clock, playfield position. I don't know if 364 00:18:24.559 --> 00:18:26.559 that's play calling. I don't know if that's Mike, but Jake, 365 00:18:26.680 --> 00:18:28.240 and I don't know if that's Kyle Whittingham. But there 366 00:18:28.240 --> 00:18:31.079 were so many second half drives, and definitely in the 367 00:18:31.079 --> 00:18:33.000 fourth quarter where it just felt like they were just 368 00:18:33.039 --> 00:18:35.720 trying to kill the clock, play field position and then 369 00:18:35.759 --> 00:18:38.039 instead of playing to win, playing not to lose, like 370 00:18:38.079 --> 00:18:40.559 the old cliche goes, is that a fair assessment of 371 00:18:40.599 --> 00:18:41.079 what you saw? 372 00:18:41.799 --> 00:18:46.559 Oh yeah, well it felt like it at least, you know, 373 00:18:46.599 --> 00:18:49.720 I don't most you know, not at the very beginning 374 00:18:49.799 --> 00:18:52.559 of the second half or sure, yeah, when they started 375 00:18:52.599 --> 00:18:55.240 winning the field position battle and they started getting these 376 00:18:55.279 --> 00:18:58.599 really good, good field positions. Yet it did feel like that. 377 00:18:58.640 --> 00:19:02.920 But when you know, going back to how the talent 378 00:19:03.240 --> 00:19:08.799 is so equal, that makes every possession, It makes everything 379 00:19:08.880 --> 00:19:12.440 you do so much more magnified. Like you you you 380 00:19:12.640 --> 00:19:16.160 have to take advantage of the opportunities you have in 381 00:19:16.319 --> 00:19:19.240 every game and you know everything that's going on because 382 00:19:19.680 --> 00:19:22.160 you can't afford you're not that good. No one is 383 00:19:22.200 --> 00:19:24.480 that you can just wow, okay, hey we'll punt it 384 00:19:24.559 --> 00:19:27.119 right here, no big deal. You know, it's like no, 385 00:19:27.119 --> 00:19:29.799 now you have to uh. There has to be a 386 00:19:29.880 --> 00:19:33.079 sense of urgency, a sense of attention to detail, a 387 00:19:33.160 --> 00:19:37.400 sense of like you can never not focus and you 388 00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:39.279 know when you're when you're a defense like you, though, 389 00:19:39.400 --> 00:19:42.880 has there been some lapses that have caused big plays? 390 00:19:42.920 --> 00:19:45.319 And it's maybe a guy got you know, a little 391 00:19:45.400 --> 00:19:48.839 lazy or lost focus somewhere and then and then those 392 00:19:48.839 --> 00:19:51.519 big plays kind of happen and you just you can't 393 00:19:51.559 --> 00:19:54.599 afford to ever ever let down. And and I think 394 00:19:54.640 --> 00:19:56.440 there's been a little bit of that with this team. 395 00:19:56.519 --> 00:19:59.599 You know, there's there hasn't been quite that that intense 396 00:19:59.640 --> 00:20:05.640 focus and that you know, that a realization that every 397 00:20:05.680 --> 00:20:09.799 play matters, and and and have that urgency of everything. 398 00:20:09.880 --> 00:20:11.680 You know, when you when you when you play on 399 00:20:12.039 --> 00:20:12.640 every snap. 400 00:20:13.279 --> 00:20:15.200 All right, Scott, before I say you loose, We'll finish 401 00:20:15.279 --> 00:20:15.519